News
Dayton's West End to Get Boost from Stimulus Funds
The Department of Transportation property on West Main in Dayton
In March the Task Force received unexpected news that $148,000 will be made available for improvements to Dayton's West Main Street. Port of Columbia Manager Jennie Dickinson, who is leading the West End Beautification Project for the Task Force, says that the funds are part of the federal stimulus package, and are made available through the Washington State Department of Transportation's transportation enhancement fund.
"This is money that has to be spent right away," says Dickinson. "We got it because we had a project in the works and are able to put people to work on it this year."
The funds will be used for enhancement of the strip of land in front of the Department of Transportation property on the south side of Main Street between the Dayton Motel and the Ameristar parking lot. Plans are to put in a new sidewalk, with pavers running to the edge of the street. Landscaping, additional irrigation, and other improvements will also be added along the existing fence in front of the DOT property.
According to Dickinson, Columbia County Engineer Drew Woods determined that enhancement funds – money for landscaping and other improvements alongside state highways – was available for projects that were already in place and could be completed quickly. "Drew called me and asked if I thought that our west end project would fit their requirements," says Dickinson, "and I said absolutely!" She says that a major stipulation was that the money couldn't be used for work on private property without an easement already in place. This was a major reason for choosing the DOT property for this portion of the project.
Because of contracting requirements with these types of funds, Columbia County Public Works will act as the Certified Agent, and the City of Dayton will take the lead on the contracts, the bid process and project management. "The City of Dayton is excited to be a part of this project and to help facilitate these stimulus funds coming to our community," said Trina Cole, City of Dayton Clerk/Treasurer and a member of the Task Force committee.
The Task Force created the West End Beautification subcommittee in mid-2007, with plans to begin a comprehensive improvement of Dayton's West Main Street from the west end of the Port of Columbia property to the Touchet River Bridge. Dickinson agreed to head the committee. She says that ever since Dayton's Downtown Main Street redevelopment project was completed in the early 1990s, there has been strong interest in bringing enhancement to the west end of town, particularly the west entrance near the Port of Columbia property. "Our goal is to create a friendly, consistent look all along Main Street, with the same species of trees, landscaping and design elements carried throughout," says Dickinson.
In June of last year, the Task Force received a $10,000 grant from the Dayton Columbia County Fund, which it used to begin design work for the West End Beautification Project. Anderson Perry Engineering in Walla Walla is providing the design work for the first phase, and will finalize the portion that is needed for the DOT property project. Dickinson says that the project will be put out to bid by July 1 and work should be completed by fall.
"West end beautification was always seen as a long-term project," says Bette Lou Crothers, President of the Task Force and a member of the West End Beautification Committee. "We'll be raising money and working on it for a long time, but this stimulus money gives us a big and unexpected jump-start."
Related Articles
News
- "Early Columbia County Schools" at the Depot Museum by Brittany Briggs
- Blue Mountain Christian School Presents 4th Annual DInner Theater Fundraiser
- April 2009 News Briefs